Facts on Bottlenose Dolphins

Bottlenose dolphins are commonly recognized throughout the world. The famous dolphin "Flipper" was a bottlenose dolphin. Marine mammals, dolphins are highly intelligent, form strong bonds with family members and pod mates, and even cooperate with each other to catch food and care for sick members of the pod. These intriguing animals form one of the most complex species in the world.

  1. Scientific Classification

    • The bottlenose dolphin is a marine mammal. It is a cetacean, which includes all of the whales and dolphins currently in existence. Dolphins digress from whales and porpoises at the family level of classification. The bottlenose dolphin is one of seven species of dolphins recognized by the American Cetacean Society.

    Body Size and Shape

    • Adult bottlenose dolphins range in length from 8 to12 feet, with males growing significantly larger than the females. The largest bottlenose dolphins live off the coast of the United Kingdom, often weighing over 1400 pounds. Throughout the rest of the world, most bottlenose dolphins weigh less than their counterparts in the British waters.

      Bottlenose dolphins have shorter beaks than other dolphins, explaining the origin of their names. They are more flexible than other dolphins as a result of their spinal structure, and resemble beluga whales in their range of motion.

      Bottlenose dolphins are varying shades of gray on the top part of their body and are almost pink on their undersides.

    Breeding

    • Female bottlenose dolphins reach maturity between 5 and 10 years of age, while males reach maturity at approximately 10 years. The gestation period for bottlenose dolphins is a full year. Calves nurse for over a year (12 to 18 months), and stay with their mothers for up to six years before leaving the pod or beginning to form more significant bonds with other dolphins. In the wild, dolphins can live up to 45 to 50 years.

    Distribution

    • Bottlenose dolphins are found throughout the world, except for the coldest waters near the poles. They thrive in both temperate and tropical waters, preferring surface water temperatures of 50 degrees to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. They are frequent visitors to harbors, lagoons and river mouths. Dolphins live in groups known as pods, ranging from as few as 20 to over several hundred.

    Protection and Conservation

    • Bottlenose dolphins are not considered an endangered species. They are protected in United States waters by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which makes it illegal to have contact with, harm or harass marine mammals. However, bottlenose dolphins do not have these protections in other parts of the world. As the 2009 documentary, The Cove, reveals, dolphins are routinely slaughtered in Japan for their meat. Dolphins often die in fishing nets and traps, as they are unable to breathe when trapped underwater.